In four regular season games against the Denver Nuggets this season, the Nuggets forced New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul into 21 turnovers.

So far in the first two games of the Western Conference playoff series between the teams, the Paul has nine turnovers and as a team the Hornets have 34 which the Nuggets have converted into 43 points.

The combined margin of victory for Denver in the first two games is 45.

Hornets Coach Byron Scott said following Friday's practice at the Alario Center that taking better care of the basketball was a point of emphasis during the workout.

"The fact that we have 34 turnovers is the most unnerving part," Scott said of the first two playoff losses. "Because we've been one of the best teams all season long as far as us taking care of the basketball.

"One of our biggest concerns this morning, and we were talking to our guys, was about making sure we take care of the ball and get better possessions. And if we do that, we feel we'll be OK."

Scott said he has not had any issues with the Hornets' defensive performance in the first two games, but that excessive errors have contributed to Denver's overwhelming success.

"The defensive part hasn't been that big of a problem. It's the turnovers," Scott said. "We're turning the ball over and they're getting 34 more attempts combined in the last two games than we're getting. That's a big thing we have to talk about and have to address. We did, and hopefully we'll do a better job of taking care of the ball."

Scott said center Tyson Chandler, who has played just three games since returning from a sprained left ankle that sidelined him more than a month, is holding up fairly well.

"He's still basically playing on one leg or one and a half," Scott said. "But he's a warrior. You've got to give him a lot of credit. He's a warrior. He played a pretty good game last game, and in the second half with about six minutes left, you could see him noticeably limping.

"And that worried me, but he says he feels a whole lot better today. Tomorrow he'll feel even better. I will have to watch him closer than anyone else."